Choosing the right floor for your home can be a difficult decision, whether to choose real wood floors or opt for a similar version in laminate floor.

But does it really make a difference which you go for in the end and what impact this will have on you and your home?

There can be many advantages of choosing laminate flooring over real wood floors, perhaps the most obvious one being the difference in price. More often than not, real wood flooring can be more expensive and time consuming to fit. In contrast, opting for laminate flooring instead can save time and money and still look as good.

The first real difference between laminate flooring and real wood flooring is that laminate flooring will have patterns that repeat itself, such as knots and grains, whereas real wood floors will have much more sporadic patterning making them totally random. Real wood flooring can dent quite easily and is not as hard wearing as laminate.

Laminate flooring is extremely durable but if damage does occur it’s much easier to re-finish real wood floors because of the nature of the product. Wood floors can be sanded down and re-finished to look as good as new, but this is not possible with laminate.

Installing laminate flooring can take as little as a day depending on the room size and can be ready to use once fitted. Depending on the type of finish, wood flooring may need time to dry and possible put your room out of action for longer. So for those who have big families or can’t live without all the space of their homes, laminate flooring would be the best choice.

Redesigning your home can add considerable value, not only in its appearance but financially, so with this in mind it is worth knowing that real wood floors often add more value so depending on whether you plan to stay in your property for the foreseeable future or you plan on selling up could be a factor in the real wood floor or laminate debate.

The good thing about laminate flooring is that it can be used anywhere in the home as it is often water resistant, so for kitchens and bathrooms it’s a good choice. Real wood flooring would not be the best choice for these areas for obvious reasons such as humidity damaging the wood, damaging it long term.

No matter what kind of flooring you choose to install in your home, always check that there is at warranty that comes with it, just in case anything goes wrong.

Keeping either floor clean is any easy job, with most laminate flooring a simple sweep and mop will keep the floor looking clean and bright and with real wood flooring a sweep and re-oil or wax will have it looking as good as new in no time.

Whatever floor you decide on is a personal choice and there are pro’s and con’s to both, but if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to real wood floors then opting for a similar laminate could save you time and money. However nothing can quite compare to the look and feel of a real wood floor.

Either way, choosing laminate or wood over carpet is now more fashionable and definitely makes your home look cleaner for longer.

Author Bio: UK Flooring distributor Floors Online supply a range of laminate flooring, wood floors, solid wood floors, engineered wood floors and vinyl flooring products. Contacts For information, sales and advice on flooring solutions, contact Floors Online 0800 731 2374 / 01827 283 184 www.floorsonline.co.uk

Category: Home Management
Keywords: wood floors,real wood floors,laminate flooring,wood flooring,real wood flooring